We know that Ferrari doesn't like acceleration tests and especially drag races where the solid reputation of its brand can be tarnished. However, the all-new Portofino is a super-GT without equal rights now, so the Italians should let this one slide.
The Portofino is the successor to California, which was seen as a joke at first, but eventually matured into a nice entry-level Ferrari. In that regard, this is a direct rival to the McLaren Sports Series, especially the new comfort-oriented GT.
But as we've often said, supercars that are really low and mid-engined seem a little try-hard in the real world. The Portofino's stunning long-nosed proportions are definitely classy, especially in this shade of pearl blue with small yellow accents.
We know that Ferrari charges a fortune for every bit of extra enamel, but it's hard not to fall in love with the configuration. Do you think Blu Tour de France is better for this car than the usual Rosso Corsa?
And hidden under the elegant yet very functional bodywork is a brand new platform, which is lighter yet more rigid than the old California T. The Portofino somehow has two more (token) seats and a much larger trunk than the Audi R8 Spyder, yet is lighter.
Speaking of the Audi, it's the car we're going to compare this to just so we know if Ferrari's entry-level machine is sufficiently fast. As you're probably aware, the Portofino sports the 3.9-liter V8, a bi-turbo that in this setup makes 600 hp and 760 Nm of torque (560 lb-ft). The best R8 makes 20 more horses but is way down on torque.
Australian magazine PDrive tried several approaches to launch the car and managed to get it down to a 0-100 kph (62 mph) time of 3.53 seconds, which is exactly what Ferrari claims. The result is amazing for a convertible 2+2 with RWD. Even so, the R8 can claim to be faster.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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